THE HOT CORNER: Tono makes most of his chances

by Jim Allen (Jul 8, 2010)

Often there is only one element of a player's game that's holding him
back. For example, more stars than you can count will tell you one
turning point came when they really, truly believed in their physical
ability.

For Akinori Iwamura, whose erratic fielding had delayed his becoming
the Yakult Swallows regular at third base, the key was winning his first
Golden Glove in 2000.

"When I won the Golden Glove, whether I was really deserving or not, I
gained the confidence I needed," he said a few years ago.

Iwamura went on to win five more of the trophies before moving to the
major leagues as a second baseman.

When southpaw Tomoya Yagi joined the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in
2006, he was gun shy.

After realizing the pitches that got corporate leaguers out were also
effective in the zone against professionals he won the Pacific League's
Rookie of the Year Award, going 12-8 for the Japan Series champs with
2.48 ERA.

For Yomiuri Giants pitcher Shun Tono, the missing element may have
been his attitude.

Tono, who won his league-leading 11th game on Sunday, said command
has been the principal difference from a year ago, when he went 8-8 in
his first full season as a starter.

"This year, I've been able to get strikes with my curve and slider,"
he told The Hot Corner on Friday. "That's perhaps the big reason things
have come together."

Although Tono's drop curve may be better--his hook has replaced the
forkball as his No. 3 pitch--his slider was effective last year.

What does appear to be different has been his approach. This season,
Tono has shown less fear of pitching in the zone, a departure from a
year ago.

In the spring of 2009, Giants manager Tatsunori Hara stuck Tono, then
22, in the starting rotation. At the time, the skipper cited the
youngster's combativeness as a key factor in his decision.

For much of that season, however, Hara could only grit his teeth when
the youngster would either shy away from contact or find ways to mess
up.

In his first season as a starter, Tono posted a solid 3.17 ERA in
153-1/3 innings, but he also issued 57 walks, while surrendering 18 home
runs and a whopping 31 doubles.

Not always willing to go after batters, Tono would often fall behind
in counts and get hit hard.

Tono's 2010 season in the rotation started with a loss. In his second
start on April 4 in Hiroshima, Tono received a three-run lead but
worked carelessly until Hara made a rare visit to put the right-hander
on course.

The pitcher had begun the game on a poor note. After Eishin Soyogi
reached with one out in the first, Tono ignored him, and the speedster
stole second with ease. After Tono's teammates gave him a 5-2 lead in
the fourth, he appeared way too casual for Hara's liking.

Tono went 3-0 on the leadoff batter, and Hara came to the mound. The
skipper informed him that a walk would mean an early shower. Tono turned
things around by recording a 1-2-3 inning and didn't leave the game
until he had allowed three runs over seven innings.

It may have been the key to his season.

"I was entirely at fault," he said of the game in Hiroshima. "I was
doing things you can't do. [In the first inning] I wasn't thinking about
the runner, didn't throw over, walked the next batter. I was not taking
care of the basics."

His victory over the Carp was the start of a seven-start winning
streak in which Tono lowered his ERA to 1.74. While he has been more
alert on the mound, he has also worked more aggressively. He's actually
giving up hits more often, but the walks and extra-base hits are way
down, an indication he is putting better pitches in the zone.

Of course, no talk of Tono is complete unless one notes the offensive
support he's received: 98 runs scored in his 15 starts.

After Sunday's victory, Tono, who has been named to the CL All-Star
squad, didn't forget who made his gaudy 11-2 record possible.

"I want to thank the hitters for getting me these wins," he said.

This is big, because as run support grows, pitchers' ERAs tend to
decline. The extra runs have given Tono room to grow and he is making
the most of it.